On Monday I had my 6 week post-op appointment, in the waiting room I met a group of young women who had also undergone recent hip surgery as hip dysplasia treatment (hello if your reading this!). Most had had a periacetabular osteotomy, PAO, in the recent months. The PAO is a procedure I know very little about but I do know the longevity of the treatment longevity is very sporadic and individual. They were all very interested in my progress as for some a hip replacement is the next treatment in the pipeline. Conversation was flowing, all exchanging stories of our hospital stay and how our progress was going. It made me realise just how important it is to have someone to discuss the little tips and tricks with and just to talk to someone who can fully empathise. Half way through a new lady joined the conversation,

With any recovery there comes a point when you hit the wall, the point at which you feel you aren't improving anymore. What they don't tell you about is week 3 & ½. I had always know there was going to be a point where my progress slowed down and wasn't marked by those extremely obvious milestones, the first steps, climbing the stairs, getting yourself dressed, but I hadn't expected to get this frustrated.

By nature I am very determined, I have never let my hip hold me back, but I also know this is the crux of my frustration. Being told I can't do something only makes me want to do it more. In some situations this is a very good quality to have, come 6 weeks post op when I can start pushing those physical barriers it will be fantastic, but currently at week 5 abiding by my two post-hip replacement rules is testing my patience.

The hip journeys other people have been through never fail to surprise me. Today I would like to introduce you to Ariel. An outstandingly strong 15 year old from America, who has had more than her fair share of ups and downs with her hip journey, but she is currently on an up, and long may that continue!Meet Ariel…My name is Ariel and I am 15 years old. The day I was born my parents noticed my hips looked ‘odd’ and were not in a normal position. My dad asked the doctor what was wrong, so they checked me for hip dysplasia. That day I was diagnosed with congenital bilateral hip dysplasia, CDH. Understandably, my parents were very alarmed.

The doctors put me in three diapers for 5 months. My parents followed all the instructions and once I finally got out of them, the doctor said everything was fine. Years later, aged 6, the pain started to come back, I would tell my mom my hips hurt all the time but my parents didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just your average growing six-year-old.

A few months ago, during the easter holiday, I had an appointment with my consultant in London. While in the waiting room a conversation had struck up between myself and another girl, who seemed very similar in age to me. Both of our hip stories had started the same with a diagnosis of congenital dysplasia of the hip, CDH, at a very young age, but had led very different paths from this point onwards. We parted ways as I went into my appointment and didn’t think much more of it.

Upon starting the Instagram page so people could follow my blog, a girl I recognised, but couldn’t quite place, commented on one of my photos. Her name was Rosanna and as luck would have it, it was the same girl I had met in the waiting room some two months before. We quickly caught up on each others progress and I asked if she would like to share her hip journey, so here it is….

This is how stiff my left hip feels, although I'm not quite as grumpy as this tin man, at least only when I am very tired.

Its a little over a week since my last blog and things are still continuing to progress. I can proudly say I am no longer attached at the hip to my crutches and can stroll freely around the house unaided, yesterday I even mastered the stairs. To anyone unlucky enough to have needed crutches, you will appreciate how these actually require a lot of skill and balance. Being the clutz that I am, I sometimes find it hard enough trying to coordinate my two legs, let alone all four limbs to make one simple movement. Crutches require the user to perfectly time their shift in weight with the movement of their arms to perfectly place the crutches on a steady surface and muscle control to swing their body to the next step. Any slight miss-judgement, or lack of balance can result in a potentially damaging stumble. But for now, the crutches are a thing of the past for me. (Until I go out and about, just as a visual warning so people don’t accidently knock into me). The stairs have been my mountain to climb over the last few days, and last night, as I am sure many of you saw on Instagram, I mastered them! I am no Usain Bolt, but more of a Mo Farrah, the stairs have become my long distance event, but I am taking it all in my stride, literally, and soon I won’t even have to think when climbing the stairs.

Author

My name is Lily, at the age of 20 I had my hip replacement June 17th 2015, after being treated for DDH as a child.

There is lots of information for older patients undergoing joint replacements, likewise, there is lots of information for children with DDH, but there is very little for my generation. I am blogging to hopefully help others in my shoes - excuse the pun - and provide down-to-earth, helpful information.

Join me on my road to recovery as I look back at my past treatments and talk about having my hip replacement aged 20.